When supplying voltage to a switched receptacle, the hot and switched voltage must be supplied from

• A. Different breakers
• B. A separate feed from the panel
• C. The main breaker
• D. The same breaker

Answer: (D)

When wiring a switched receptacle, both the always-hot feed and the switched hot leg should come from the same circuit breaker. This ensures a single point of disconnect that can de-energize both paths and makes the switch reliably control the half of the outlet that is switched. If the two hots came from different breakers, you could end up with two sources energizing the receptacle, risking backfeeding, a lack of proper shutdown when a breaker trips, and a dangerous situation where one part remains hot while you think it’s off. Keeping them on the same breaker provides safe, predictable operation and avoids those hazards.